


Not As It Seems XXVIII

by eliniel



Series: Wondrous Tails 2020 [5]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Board Games, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Stress Baking, Triple Triad (Final Fantasy)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:15:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23721448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliniel/pseuds/eliniel
Summary: After the Warrior of Light wakes up from a nightmare, she convinces Emet-Selch to play a game with her.
Relationships: Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light
Series: Wondrous Tails 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686646
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	Not As It Seems XXVIII

**Author's Note:**

> I actually had this prompt laying around for quite some time, but since it fit in with the Wondrous Tails event, I thought it was about time I write it XD
> 
> Prompts: Teaching each other/playing games

My eyes shot open, my heart pounding in my chest. The room was dark and even the light of the moon did not illuminate it. A sheen of sweat covered my forehead and I gulped down breath after breath, trying to calm myself and the trembling in my body. 

A dream. It had only been a dream.

_ Another _ one. 

I sighed. The more Lightwardens I absorbed, the more I had, the worse they got.

Emet-Selch’s arm was still loosely wrapped around my waist, just as when we had gone to sleep, his body next to mine radiating heat under the covers. I lifted one hand and rubbed my eyes with two fingers. 

I was  _ hot _ . 

My mouth was dry.

I tore the blanket off of me and carefully slid out from under the Ascian’s arm so that I didn’t disturb him and slipped out of the room, slowly closing the door behind me. I summoned a flame to my hand to light my way as I went down the stairs.

When I entered the kitchen, I set my ball of fire into the lamp and watched as it dimly lit the counters. I moved to the faucet, grabbing a glass on my way, and filled it with water, then tilted it back, letting its coolness slide down my throat. 

After I’d downed the entirety, I set the glass into the sink and gripped the edges of the counter, leaning leaned against it and letting my head droop between my arms. My hair fell over my shoulders, forming a curtain around my face. 

I closed my eyes and sighed through my nose. 

What a horrible dream. 

At the very least I hadn’t called out this time and woken the Ascian still asleep in my bed. 

I peered up at the chronometer, the dim light of my aether barely bright enough enough to see. Just past three in the morning. 

I clicked my tongue in annoyance and stood straight, turning on my heel to look around the kitchen. My eyes landed on the basket of apples I had picked up the day before from the markets.

Well, I was wide awake. Perhaps I could...bake something?

I had, in truth, picked up the fruit for that  _ exact _ reason, but I wanted to wait. Now that Emet-Selch had learned to cook by hand, I thought perhaps...he would  _ join _ me and we could make the pie  _ together _ …

I’d even pre-made the crust so we wouldn’t have to deal with it later.

I pursed my lips together. 

_ But _ , it had always been a comfort to me, and I was already up… 

I tapped my fingers to my chin in thought for a few moments before making my decision and heading over to the oven to turn it on, then went to work gathering what I needed. 

I set the basket of apples on the island in my kitchen along with a knife, bowl, and cutting board. I scattered the other ingredients around them, then perched on a stool and began peeling and slicing. 

When I had finished tossing the sugar, flour, spices, and apple slices in a large bowl, I set to work spreading the pie crust in the pan. 

After I’d thrown it all together and set it in the oven, I sat back at the island with a sigh and folded my hands on the surface, laying my chin on top of them. 

It hadn’t really helped, afterall.

I sat quietly for long minutes, mind still raging, replaying the nightmare over and over. Different, but still so similar to ones I’d had in the last months of this journey. 

_ My enemy, my friend. _

_ Drowning in waves of black blood.  _

I shook my head, burying my face in the crook of one elbow. 

What did it mean?

Suddenly, there was a creak coming from the stairs and my heart jumped up my throat as my head shot up, instincts quickly on high alert, especially after having such a dream.

“Hero?” Emet-Selch’s voice called. I released a breath of relief, forcing my body to relax. I was being ridiculous. Who would attack me in my own home?

“In here,” I replied, letting my head drop into the palm of my hand. I heard the kitchen door swing open, his footsteps soft on the wooden floor. I rubbed my forehead with my fingers before raising my head again and looking over my shoulder at him. 

He looked around the room as his eyes adjusted to the lighting, gaze landing on the lit oven as he approached me.

“Doing some middle-of-the-night baking?” he asked, curiously, his voice was filled with amusement as he raised a brow. 

“I couldn’t sleep,” I said, quietly. I watched his expression drop at my tone. I turned back to face the counter. “I thought a pie would be nice after dinner tonight.” He hummed as he slid onto the stool next to mine, facing me. I felt his eyes examining me carefully and I tried to ignore it. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

“You didn’t,” he said absently as his brow furrowed. He reached between us, grasping my chin in his hand and tilting it towards him. “You’re rather pale, Warrior of Light. Are you alright?” I huffed a humorless laugh.

“It’s so dark in here,” I mused, tugged my face from his fingers. “It’s probably just the light.” He pursed his lips together as he shot me an unconvinced look. I clicked my tongue and rolled my eyes. “Fine. I had a nightmare.”

“Another?” I sighed through my nose and nodded, gaze dropping to the counter.

“Much the same.” 

“I see.” The  _ hint _ of sadness I heard in his voice did not escape me. He placed a hand on my back and I froze, momentarily shocked at the gentleness of his touch. 

I raised my eyes to him once more, searching his expression. He refused to give anything else away, and wouldn’t meet my gaze as his hand slid down my back and to the seat of the stool. When I opened my mouth to question him, he suddenly pulled the stool closer to him, wood knocking against wood upon impact. A surprised squeal slipped out instead as I almost lost my balance and slipped off, my hands flying to grasp the edge of the counter. 

He breathed a laugh as he quickly reached around my waist to help steady me. 

“Careful.” I puffed out my cheeks in indignation.

“You could’ve warned-”

Before I could finish, he tugged on my middle and pulled me into him, between his legs. I inhaled sharply as I fell against him and tried to pull away, but his arm wrapped firmly around my back, effectively holding me in place.

“What-”

“Hush, hero,” he ordered. I pouted my lips and blew a short breath out of my nose to make my displeasure known. 

But the longer I sat there, neither of us uttering a word, the more I felt myself relaxing, the tension I hadn’t even realized I’d stored in my muscles easing as his hand slowly ran up and down the length of my arm. I understood that he  _ knew _ what I wanted- or even needed- before I realized...and he had provided it for me without complaint.

A small smile graced my lips as I relished the warmth of his skin against me and eventually, I wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his chest as I inhaled deeply, breathing in the scents that stuck to his skin. His arm tightened around me as he pulled me closer and I felt the fingers of his free hand begin to brush through my hair, soothing me as he loosed any tangles that had formed as I had slept. When he was finished, he rested his head on top of mine with a soft sigh.

Gods, I could get lost in this feeling-

The timer I’d set  _ dinged _ before I was ready to pull away. When I whined, the sound muffled against his skin, he chuckled, his chest shaking against my cheek, and pulled back, nodding his head towards the oven while giving me a small nudge. I stood, but when I started moving towards the oven, I paused and looked over my shoulder, my eyes averting to the surface of the island.

“I…,” I started, my face beginning to flush. “Thank you. It...really helped.” I saw the beginnings of a smile form on his lips as he nodded.

“Go on, hero,” he said, quietly. “Fetch your pie before it burns.”

I breathed a laugh and turned back, grabbing a hand towel to safely lift the pie from the oven. I set it on the counter and flipped the heat off. 

“It’ll have to cool for quite a while,” I began as I inspected it closely. “I’ll probably just leave it out until morning.”

“Shall we head back to bed, then?” I hummed as I spun back around to face him, raising my hand to my chin, my gaze wandering to the kitchen door.

As badly as I  _ wanted _ to run back into his arms, I didn’t think I was ready to go back to sleep. Not yet. 

Comforted as I was, I was  _ still _ afraid I’d have another...

An idea popped into my mind. Something that would keep me thoroughly distracted.

“Would you mind staying up with me a while longer?” His eyes followed mine and he arched a brow. 

“What did you have in mind?”

“Have you ever played Triple Triad?”

“The...Eorzean card game?” he asked, giving me an incredulous look. I nodded and made my way around the island to him, prodding him in the side with my finger to get him to stand. He clicked his tongue and feigned annoyance as he slid off of the stool. “I never once stooped so low as to learn any of your customs-”

“Until recently,” I teased. He blew a sharp breath out of his nose.

“What, by Zodiark, would make you think I would know how to play one of your  _ games _ ?”

“You never know,” I said, shrugging one shoulder. “I’ve seen players from all walks of life.” He scoffed.

“I’m sure you have never met a Garlean who-”

“Ah!” I said, spinning back towards him, holding my index finger up to silence him. “That is where you are  _ sorely mistaken _ , my dear Ascian.” A coy smile spread across my lips. “I did once have the pleasure of playing against a Garlean soldier.” He arched a brow, his expression incredulous. 

“Just outside of Castrum Centri,” I recalled, tapping a finger to my lips. “He was rather lazy, if I recall correctly.” I giggled. “He’d rather play a game of cards against the Warrior of Light than do his duty to his country… I won some pretty good cards from him, too.”

I looked at Emet-Selch again, who pressed his lips into a thin line as he crossed his arms over his chest, watching me with an unimpressed expression. I laughed, this time, and patted his arm a few times. 

“Oh, don’t be like that.It’s easy. Come on,” I said with a bright grin as I forced my arm through his and began tugging him towards the living area. I threw a ball of fire magic into the fireplace to light it. “I’ll teach you.”

“And if I don’t want to learn?” I rolled my eyes.

“I know you’re just saying that to be stubborn,” I quipped, then pointed to the couch. “Sit while I get the board and decks. And some tea, too, if you don’t mind?” He frowned, but pulled out of my arm and began heading for the sofa, his arm raised and poised to snap.

“The things I do for you,” he muttered as I turned, heading for the closet under the stairs. 

When I returned, he was busying himself by pouring the tea he’d conjured. I began laying out the game, his eyes glued to the table as I did. I set a deck in front of him, then sat back onto the couch beside him. 

“Okay,” I started. “I’ve pulled out my beginner decks. It’ll be easier.” I spread my cards out, face up, on the surface of the table for him to see. He watched over the rim of his teacup as he took a sip. 

“Rules change from person to person,” I continued. “Some set rules such as Plus or Chaos, but since you’re learning we won’t do anything of that.” 

I plucked one of the cards from the table as he set his cup down onto the table, then scooted closer to him, holding it out in front of the both of us. 

“Each card has 4 numbers. One is the lowest, ace the highest. The goal is to fill the board with  _ your _ color, and to do that, the number that you lie down next to my card must be the larger number. So-” I placed my card on the bottom left corner of the board and waited until it had turned blue. “Say I lay this pudding here.” I picked up the cactuar card from my deck. 

“Since there is a two at the top, if I place this one here…” I placed it in the slot above the previous card. Immediately, the board flipped the color of the card to red. “The three at the bottom of the card is, of course, the higher number and will take the card. But…” When I removed the cactuar from the board, the pudding returned to blue. Next, I placed it to the right.

“If I were to put it here, nothing would happen since three is smaller than two.” I looked up to him. “Get it?”

He crossed his arms over his chest, still frowning down at the board.

“I suppose,” he replied. He shifted so he could turn his own deck over as I had done, then took a moment to examine them. “What do the stars on the top corner of the cards mean?”

“Ah,” I said, resetting the board completely. “It’s basically the  _ grade _ of the card. As a beginner’s deck, most of the cards are one-star and generally accompanied by a single two or three-star, but the cards go up to five.”

“And since you can only use five cards at once, surely there are rules for making decks with higher grades of cards.” I smiled and nodded.

“That’s right!” I answered with enthusiasm. “But that comes later. We don’t need to worry about that for now.” I giggled and reached for my drink. “If you enjoy playing tonight, I’ll explain further.” He huffed a laugh and I quirked a brow, raising the cup to my lips.

“We’ll see,” he said with a shake of his head, uncrossing his arms and leaning forward, elbows on his knees. “What color am I?”

A smile spread across my mouth as I set the porcelain down once more. 

“Is red alright?”

He hummed in assent and we launched into the match. 

I won the first few games, but as he became more comfortable with the cards, he began winning more and more. 

Eventually, I brought out my cards in their entirety and I explained how to create a deck with more than sixty cards. 

“When you have as many cards as I do,” I began. “Four of your cards can be three-starred, plus one five.” 

He rubbed his chin for a moment as he sorted through the cards I’d handed him, debating which to use. 

“But, different decks are good for different things.”

“For those who play by specific rules?”

“Mm,” I agreed. “Let’s take Ascension as an example.” I pulled out a series of primal cards- Garuda, Ifrit, and Titan. “If we set the board for these rules, you will want  _ like _ cards because each time you use one…” I set one down, and then another. We both watched as the numbers shifted, adding one. 

“I see,” he said. 

A few moments later, he finalized his deck and we began playing again.

After a few more lost rounds, I clicked my tongue in frustration. 

“How do you keep beating me?” I asked, voice full of exasperation, crossing my arms in front of me with a pout. “I’m surely not the best player, but I’m not  _ this _ bad.”

“Most recently, I was an emperor of a nation for many years and that was only one of my many lives,” he explained, flashing me a smug grin. “You learn how to  _ strategize _ , my dear hero, and that is all that this is. A game of strategy.”

I pursed my lips but lifted the card in my hand. He chuckled. 

"More?" 

"Of course," I said. "I never back down from a challenge."

His smile widened and laid one of his down. 

I wasn't sure how long we played, but by the time I could feel my consciousness fading, I could've sworn I could see the sky beginning to lighten through the window. 

"Another, hero?" Emet-selch asked me as I struggled to keep my eyes open. 

I hummed, blinking rapidly as I tried to rouse myself. Next to me, he breathed a laugh as the card in my hand began to slip from my fingers. He sat forward, quickly, catching it before it hit the ground as my eyelids dropped once more.

He set it onto the table and I felt his arm wrap around me as it guided me to lean against his side. 

"I think that's quite enough for tonight," he insisted, quietly. I sighed with a small nod, unable to find it in me to argue with me. And he was  _ so _ warm... "Get some rest, Warrior of Light."

Without another word, I let my eyes fall shut and darkness took me.

When I awoke again, the bright morning sun was shining onto my face. With a whine, I pulled the blanket over me to block out the light before-

...Blanket?

I cracked my eyes open as I lowered the cover and I found myself gazing up at the Ascian leaning on the arm of the couch with one arm, his chin resting in his palm as he slept. And I was…

I was lying in his lap, covered in a quilt he  _ must _ have summoned over me. 

My lips parted as I peered up at him again, watching him for a few, quiet moments. Finally, a smile spread across my lips and I turned over onto my side, curling into him, clutching the blanket tightly around my shoulders as I drifted off and back to sleep.


End file.
